Sister Switch
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Cedric, annoyed with Cordelia when she continues interrupting his lessons with Sofia and teasing him in general, jokingly offers to switch out with King Roland, whose own sister Duchess Matilda/Tilly has arrived for a visit. To his surprise, Roland agrees. Needless to say, neither one has a clue what they're up against when they actually spend time with their new "sisters."


Sister Switch

Summary: Cedric, annoyed with Cordelia when she continues interrupting his lessons with Sofia and teasing him in general, jokingly offers to switch out with King Roland, whose own sister Duchess Matilda/Tilly has arrived for a visit. To his surprise, Roland agrees. Needless to say, neither one has a clue what they're up against when they actually spend time with their new "sisters."

Disclaimer: I don't own the show!

A/N: Now you all know I saw the new episode! :) So heads up: some spoilers for "Through the Looking Back Glass" if you haven't seen it yet. I thought the little versions of Cedric and Cordelia were adorable, and THEY SPOKE! :) I've been waiting YEARS to hear little Cedric speak. I was so happy. Haha. Anyway, hope you enjoy! (Heads up: This story is much longer than my usual ones, and even more so than I'd planned originally, so you might want to get a snack handy. Haha. Also, I tried the "line" thing Mukidi suggested, so hopefully it helps since this is a much longer story. :D)

PS: I know the cover photo has Cordelia's wig instead of her normal hair. I made the photo before I saw the episode. :P Ah, well. lol

*Story*

"…And when we add in some rose oil, we'll get a perfectly potent potion," Cedric finished explaining to his apprentice as he demonstrated, showing her the final product: a deep pink liquid in a beaker.

Sofia giggled. "Try saying that three times fast!"

"Indeed." He smiled as he poured the potion into a bottle and capped it off. He then handed it to Sofia. "Here you are. Just pour it into the new bottle you picked up, and you'll have your requested perfume for your mother's birthday."

The princess beamed. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric. I'm sure Mom will love it." She put the bottle into her bag before sitting on her stool. "So what else are we going to do today?"

"Well, I figured we could—"

"Oh, Cedric!"

The Royal Sorcerer sighed in dismay as he turned to his sister, who was gliding in with her daughter behind her. "Cordelia, as delighted as I am to see you—for the fifteenth time today—Princess Sofia and I are in the middle of our lesson."

"Oh, I won't be a bother." She grinned as she tapped his nose, making him scoff with an annoyed sound. "Calista and I will simply hang around until you and the princess are finished. Besides, I had a favor to ask of you."

"Of course you did," he grumbled as he batted her hand away.

"Mummy," Calista began with a sheepish grin, "I think Uncle Ceddy and Sofia wanted to finish their lesson in private. We could always find something else to do."

"There, you see," Cedric hinted as he gestured toward his niece. "Listen to Calista. She seems to be the intelligent one here. Or even go bug Baileywick for all I care."

Cordelia smiled thoughtfully and chuckled. "Ah, dear Baileywick… He's still such a great man. I admit, I used to have quite the crush on him when we were younger."

Sofia's eyes widened as Cedric grimaced. "You did?"

"Oh, of course, dear girl." She snickered as she caught the look on her brother's face. "An impeccably dressed man with a sense of time management who lives to serve others…and would literally offer me just about anything I asked for? What more could a girl want?"

Cedric shook his head. "Hold on. Baileywick? Your crush was _Baileywick_? As in the silver-hair-having, compulsive-time-keeping, overly-organized, no-nonsense Baileywick?" He rolled his eyes as Cordelia smiled slyly at him. "The man will soon have more wrinkles than your dress."

"Ugh, this dress has no wrinkles, Cedric. I made sure of that." She gestured toward it with her wand. "And besides, Baileywick doesn't have wrinkles. If anything, he has…wisdom pockets."

Sofia and Calista exchanged humored glances before Cedric blanched at the mentioning.

"All right, that does it. Out!" He not-so-subtly ushered his sister and niece toward the door. "You are distracting Sofia from her lessons."

"Well, come and find us when you're finished at least," Cordelia requested with a sneaky smile. "I suppose I'm off to find _Baileywick_ then. Come along, Calista."

"Bye, Uncle Ceddy! Bye, Sofia!" The little girl waved as Cedric shut the door after they'd left.

Cedric shuddered visibly before sitting down next to Sofia. "Well, _that_ was a confession I never wanted to hear."

Sofia laughed as she nudged him playfully. "I thought you two were getting along better."

"Of course we are. Her hair has been restored to its 'full glory,' and we've been communicating better, naturally. But we're still siblings, Sofia. Siblings still fight often, even if they truly love each other. I'm sure you know that."

"Mm, yeah. James and I get along great. And Amber and I are like best friends, even though we have different ways of looking at things sometimes. But I know what you mean. We love each other, but we get on each other's nerves sometimes too." She smiled as he sighed and shook his head. "It'll be all right, Mr. Cedric. While they're living here with us, just try to make the most of it and get along as well as you can."

He smiled thoughtfully as she patted his shoulder. "You're far more mature than anyone else in this castle, my dear…wise beyond your years."

She grinned. "Maybe _I'll_ get wisdom pockets then." She giggled as he gave her a pointed look. "I'm joking! Let's get back to our lesson."

* * *

While the two friends returned to their task, Roland was outside on the steps to the castle, waiting patiently. He smiled as a familiar face approached and offered him a hug. "Tilly," he greeted warmly as she released him. "It's been a while. What have you been up to?"

The shorter woman just smiled and took his arm as they walked inside. "Oh, just a bit of traveling as usual," she responded airily as they ventured down the hallway. "I met up with a group of adventurers and we discovered an entirely new village just off the coast of Enchancia."

"Fascinating." He led her into the throne room, where Miranda was waiting for them. "And how long did you plan to stay?"

"Oh, just a few days, really. I have a new adventure planned starting soon." She winked at him, causing him to chuckle.

"I'm not surprised. You're always on the go."

Miranda and Tilly exchanged pleasantries as Baileywick approached them.

"Your Majesties," the older man greeted calmly with a small nod. "Queen Miranda, may I borrow you for a moment? I just needed to verify a few details about your birthday meal this evening."

The brunette laughed. "Oh, Baileywick, you know I'm not picky. Whatever you all come up with will be fine with me. But if you insist." She bid her husband and sister-in-law goodbye for now and left with the steward.

"So," Tilly began with a humored lilt to her voice, "I hear you also have other guests staying here for a while."

"Oh, you heard about that, did you?" He shrugged. "Yes, Cordelia and Calista have come for a visit. She seems to be driving Cedric crazy, which should really come as no surprise to you."

"Of course not. That poor guy could never get a moment's peace after _the incident_." She laughed.

"Yeah, about that…he fixed it."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean, no more green, spiky, scary hair on her head?" She grinned as her brother nodded with a smile. "Really? See, I told you Cedric was a lot more competent than you guys thought. Just give him a chance, and he'll be the best sorcerer this kingdom has seen. After all, we were kids. Kids make mistakes, and he's no different."

"Oh, well, funny thing is…" He laughed once. "That _incident_ wasn't actually his fault. It turns out Cordelia did that to herself on accident, and Cedric just caught the blame because he was—"

"—in the wrong place at the wrong time," the duchess finished with a knowing smile. "Naturally. It always seems to happen to the actual innocent ones, doesn't it? Poor Cedric."

"Hmm, yeah. Well…" He cleared his throat and shrugged. "Well, we're moving on."

"I'm glad to hear it." She smiled sweetly. "Oh, Roland, I was wondering if you'd do me a little favor and go with me to the village tomorrow. Some twins are having their birthday party, and their parents asked me if I could entertain them with a few of my…tricks." She winked. "I think we'll have a whiz-bang time!"

Roland sighed, shrugging nonchalantly. "I suppose I could… I'll have to check my schedule of course. But I'll try. Why don't you go put your things away? Supper will be ready soon."

"Okay, sounds good. Try not to shrink any more castles before I leave though." She laughed as he rolled his eyes. Of _course_ she'd already heard about that.

"Now that actually _was_ Cedric…and Cordelia. Turns out the two of them together are pretty destructive when they want to be."

Tilly grinned and playfully patted her brother's cheek. "No different from you and me, I'm afraid. I'll see you at supper." She turned and left as Roland went back to his routine, though he was curious if he could get out of going with Tilly…there really was _so_ much he had to do, but he didn't want to disappoint his sister. He'd figure it out.

* * *

"All right, Sofia," Cedric announced an hour later. "I believe we're done for the day."

Sofia beamed. "I feel much more confident for my test this Friday too," she informed him. "Thanks."

"Oh, any time. Well, as long as we remain uninterrupted." He chuckled.

"Okay, let's go." She hopped down from her stool and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulders.

Cedric blinked. "Go where?"

"Mom's birthday meal. You're coming, right?"

"I…didn't realize I was invited."

Sofia smiled and took his hand, leading him toward the door. "She told me to bring you. We're having cake after we eat."

"But Sofia, I don't want to intrude on your family time…" He seemed rather conflicted. Generally he just ate on his own except for special occasions, so he wasn't sure eating with the royal family was appropriate this time.

Sofia stopped and smiled gently toward her friend. "Mr. Cedric, you _are_ family. Now come on." With that, she pulled him toward the door, missing the touched smile on her mentor's face.

In the dining room, now fully decorated with multiple shades of red and pink, the royal family along with their guests sat as the table was filled with food.

"Happy birthday, Miranda," Roland said as he grabbed her hand and kissed it with a playful smile.

She laughed at the interaction and nodded. "Thank you, Roland. Thank you all for coming too."

Aside from the usual five were also Cedric, Cordelia, Calista, Tilly, and even Baileywick this time. Miranda had insisted that they all attend, because a celebration of life should involve as many family and friends as possible, and she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to give these others a chance to have some relaxation time…and cake. Cake was the clincher here.

Once they'd eaten, Miranda received her gifts. Amber had hand-sewn her a deep red shawl with Enchancian embellishments; James had gotten her a golden bracelet from Tangu the last time he'd visited Zandar; and Sofia had crafted, with Cedric's help, a new perfume that she'd entitled 'The Red Queen.' While the others hadn't gotten her gifts (which she hadn't expected anyway), Roland had.

He handed her a brochure and watched as her eyes lit up.

"Oh, Rollie! We're going to the Ruby Islands?" Her eyes shimmered in excitement.

"Yes. This time next week, you and I will be relaxing with the sun and the ocean."

"And naturally, we're not invited," Amber remarked with a sarcastic smile. "We see how it is, Dad."

"To be fair, Princess Amber, you wouldn't want to go anyway," Cordelia assured her. "Not with the lovey-dovey looks they'll be passing back and forth."

"Cordelia," Cedric whispered harshly, nudging her. "Stop that."

She smirked. "What? I'm just saying."

Miranda laughed. "Well, we'll have a family vacation later in the year, Amber, especially around the Wassailia holidays. How does that sound?"

The blonde shrugged. "Okay by me."

The party continued, followed by cake, before the evening ended. Cedric approached Roland once Baileywick had finished his conversation with him.

"Thank you for extending the invitation to us, Your Majesty," he said gratefully. "I wasn't even aware that I'd been invited to Queen Miranda's party until Sofia told me."

The king smiled. "Well, you're welcome, but honestly, all the thanks goes to Sofia and Miranda. They both wanted you to be a part of it, along with the others. And I agreed." He nodded. "Consider it a part of our 'healing process' or whatever the girls are calling it."

Cedric laughed. "Well, I appreciate it." He gasped once as Cordelia poked him in the side, scaring him. "Cordelia, really? Is that necessary?"

She snickered. "Of course! If nothing else, it humors me to hear you shriek when someone surprises you."

"I _don't_ shriek."

She grinned and turned toward Roland. "A bee was chasing after him yesterday afternoon, and he shrieked quite loudly before diving into the water. Oh, I wish you could have seen that, Your Majesty. It was quite entertaining!"

Roland chuckled.

Cedric frowned. "A _bee_ was chasing me! You'd shriek and dive too!" He sighed in aggravation as the sorceress snickered and walked off, looking quite pleased with herself. "Oh, sometimes, I wonder how we're even related."

Roland shrugged before glancing toward his own sister, who was pulling a bunch of items from her bag, including a hat rack, two large umbrellas, and numerous hats. "Tell me about it."

The sorcerer glanced toward the duchess before laughing softly. "Actually, King Roland, I'd enjoy having Miss Tilly as a sister any day. She seems like fun, and she never acts in a snide manner or does things at someone's expense."

"Perhaps, but Tilly can be a little…well, how does one describe Tilly anyway?" He tapped his hand to his chin and shrugged slightly. "She's a little offbeat sometimes, I suppose. She doesn't do things in any expected manner."

"What's wrong with that, sire?" Cedric asked curiously. Truly, he found that pretty neat. He liked that Roland's sister managed to do things her own way instead of doing what's expected. She was royalty, but she didn't act like it or use it to her advantage. In a way, she reminded him of…well, Sofia.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing at all. Anyway, she's great and all, but Cedric, I bet Cordelia is actually a pretty fun sister to have too. Remember when we were younger and she'd use her magic to chase away vermin in the gardens?" He laughed.

"Yes," Cedric drawled with one raised eyebrow. "And she destroyed your father's vegetables while she was at it, yet the blame was placed on me yet again." He sighed when Roland smiled sympathetically. "Honestly, I'd trade sisters with you any day. You can have Cordelia, and I'll take Miss Tilly."

Roland actually grinned at that. "Done."

The sorcerer blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Tilly told me earlier that she needed a partner to go with her to the village tomorrow for some 'whiz-bang' event, and I was obliged to go." He walked behind Cedric and placed his hands on his shoulders, pushing him toward the blonde woman. "However, now _you_ can be her brother for a day and go with her."

"Your Majesty, I was speaking hypothetically!" He paused when Roland stopped them.

"You won't have to deal with Cordelia for a whole day." Roland smirked, knowing the sorcerer couldn't resist that reality.

"…Very well," Cedric relented, making a sound of surprise as Roland stood now between him and Tilly.

"Tilly," Roland greeted cheerfully, causing the other royal sibling to look at him with a curious stare.

"What do you want, Roland?" she asked with a playful chuckle. "I know that look."

"Actually, Cedric here volunteered to go with you tomorrow and help out. I'm just so swamped with work that it would be impossible to get out of it, so Cedric _graciously_ offered to go in my stead."

' _He's an even better liar now than he was when we were children_ ,' Cedric thought to himself before turning his attention to the duchess, who was looking at him expectantly.

"Cedric, is that true?" she asked curiously.

"Erm, yes, Miss Tilly… It would be an honor to help you…with whatever it is you're doing tomorrow."

She smiled gratefully. "Well, thank you, Cedric. I'm sure we'll have a great time…and so will the children." She gently patted his shoulder before heading down the hallway toward her room.

"Ch-Children?" he asked in astonishment.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that the 'event' is a birthday party for a set of twins and their friends in the village?" The king chuckled as Cedric stared at him in dismay.

"Your Majesty, I'm not exactly the best with children," Cedric admitted with a perplexed look.

"Oh, nonsense. You've done just fine with Sofia and your niece. How different could it be?" He turned. "Have fun with your sister!"

Cedric gaped as the other man walked off. What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

The next day, Cedric met Tilly at the door before they headed to the village. He'd brought his wand just in case, though he doubted he'd need it if Tilly was, in fact, the primary one planning to entertain those children. Well, in any case, he still couldn't believe he'd been talked into this whole situation.

"Ready?" Tilly asked with a beaming smile.

The sorcerer returned the smile, but a nervous chuckle escaped from his lips. "Eh, sure… Let's get this—I mean, let's get going."

"That's the spirit! Hurry!" She swiftly took his arm and led him down the steps toward the horse-drawn carriage. Once they'd both secured their spots, she sighed happily. "Ah, I'm so excited."

"Mm-hmm." Cedric slumped down in his seat a bit and folded his arms over his stomach as their carriage began moving.

Tilly smiled knowingly as she placed her bag on the seat between them. "I wanted to thank you, Cedric…for coming with me in Roland's place." She laughed softly when he glanced up toward her. "I know he really didn't want to go, especially since he's just so busy, but I truly appreciate that you took the time out of your busy schedule to accompany me. You've grown to be quite a kindhearted sorcerer, just like I always knew you would be." She grinned when he smiled shyly. "Now I see why Sofia admires you so much."

Cedric glanced away and absently replied, "To be honest, Miss Tilly, Sofia saw the good in me before I ever did. If you should be thanking anyone, it's her. Without her guidance, I suppose you could call it, I likely wouldn't be going to this party with you right now. I'd still be in my tower…"

"Even Rapunzel escaped her tower, Cedric," she joked with a grin, making him laugh at the irony of her statement. "I'm glad you did too."

He couldn't help smiling at the sincerity of her statement. "Thank you, Miss Tilly…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Roland had gotten dressed in his business attire and was standing with Baileywick in the throne room. They were discussing a few things when Cordelia approached them.

"Your Majesty, have you seen my brother?" she asked with a baffled look on her face. "My little Calista went to greet him this morning, and he seems to have disappeared from his workshop."

"Oh, he and Tilly went to the village for a children's birthday party."

All three adults realized just how strange that statement sounded since it was pertaining to Cedric, and of course they couldn't help laughing.

Cordelia began calming her laughter and shook her head. "No, really, where is he?"

"It's true, Miss Cordelia," Baileywick chuckled with a shrug. "Somehow he was persuaded to participate in this oh-so-elusive event."

"I see what you're doing, Baileywick," Roland chided with a grin, "and you're not going to make me feel guilty in the slightest." Seeing Cordelia still appeared confused, he sighed. "I wasn't able to go with Tilly—"

"More like 'didn't want to go,' but continue." Baileywick smirked as the king shot him a pointed look.

"…So I suggested to Cedric that he might go with her, and eventually he said yes."

"Just a minute," the brunette woman requested as she frowned in confusion, gesturing slightly. "We're talking about _my_ brother, right? Cedric? Cedric, who, aside from a very select few, does not do well around children?"

"Actually," Baileywick interjected with a shrug, "for some reason, children love Cedric. The students at Royal Prep still talk about the time he subbed for them. Sofia and Calista both admire him. James and Amber respect him now. And random little children in the village run up to him in awe because of his profession."

"I never thought I'd see the day when you of all people would plead Cedric's case, Baileywick." The sorceress smiled lightly. "It would seem things really have changed around here."

"More than you'd realize, Cordelia," Roland added with a nod. He looked at his steward, who glanced nonchalantly at his pocket watch. "Well, I must be going now. I've got to open a new clinic just outside of the village, and I don't want to be late."

"A clinic?" The woman smiled slowly. "Would you like some company, King Roland? Since my brother seems to have gone off with one royal sibling, perhaps I should do the same. And besides, you might even need a magic touch at this grand opening." She waved her wand lightly.

"Well, Miranda _was_ supposed to go with me, but the children decided they're going to take her on a short trip today in honor of her birthday, so…" He shrugged. "Why not? Just ask them to take Calista as well; she might enjoy some time away from the castle."

"Will do, Your Majesty." She turned. "I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Baileywick looked toward the fair-haired man with a skeptical stare. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, King Roland?" he inquired.

"Nope." He grinned as the steward sighed in dismay. "Don't worry, Baileywick. It will be fine. We're going to go open the clinic, say a little speech, and then come home. Nothing more to be done."

"Oh, really?" The steward unrolled a scroll, which hit the ground. He smirked when Roland groaned in despair. "There's always _something_ to do, Your Majesty." He chuckled.

* * *

In the village, the carriage stopped in front of a small house. Cedric exited first and then helped Tilly out next. After she'd given the driver instructions, Tilly beckoned the sorcerer forward.

The two of them walked in silence to the house before she knocked on the door.

A woman with long red hair opened the door and beamed. "Oh, Duchess Matilda!" she greeted with a wide smile and a curtsey.

Tilly rolled her eyes before hugging the woman. "Now stop that, Sydney," she joked with a laugh before letting her go. "We've been friends since we were kids. You know better than to call me by that title."

"Sorry, Tilly, I couldn't help myself." She giggled before glancing toward Cedric. "Oh! And the Royal Sorcerer has come with you?"

"Yep! Cedric here is an asset in magical events, really. So he offered to help out."

Cedric sighed inwardly. Yeah, that's not exactly the way it was explained to him, but what else was new? He just nodded kindly to the woman. "I'm pleased to help in any manner, Mrs. Sydney."

She smiled before letting them enter. "Our birthday twins, Jocelyn and Jaylen, are outside with their friends. They're so excited you're here, Tilly, and they'll be even more excited to have an actual sorcerer here!"

"And where's Keith?" Tilly asked, looking around the house. "I thought he'd be here."

"Oh, you know him…always with his head in the clouds. He's actually on a business trip right now, which he couldn't get out of—he told the twins he'd have to make it up to them." She shrugged.

"I see. Okay, let me converse with Cedric for a few minutes, and you get the kiddos rounded up outside. We'll meet you all in just a little bit." She smiled when Sydney gave her affirmation before leaving. She then glanced up at Cedric. "You just leave everything to me, if you want. I know my brother always bugs you about using your magic, but you'll get burned out soon enough if you do."

Cedric blinked in surprise. Rarely, aside from Sofia, had anyone told him _not_ to use his magic for a party or _not_ to entertain the masses with a trick or two. He held up one hand in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"Cedric, you just came with me in Roland's place, right? You know as well as I do that Roland is not magical in any way; as you're stepping in for him, I'm not going to ask you to use your magic if you don't want to." She gave him a calm smile.

Okay, now he was floored. Very few people had not tried to get him to use his magic at some point for entertainment purposes. And the fact that he was with her now, at a children's birthday party no less, where she intended to perform for the kids without his own use of magic…he just couldn't wrap his mind around that one. "Are you sure, Miss Tilly?"

"Absolutely!" She held up her bag that she took pretty much everywhere. "I've got all the magic I need right here." She winked, causing him to laugh.

"As you wish, Miss Tilly."

Tilly worked her own version of magic that afternoon, wowing the kids into a stupor. They couldn't figure out how one bag could hold so many things. From the usual essentials such as a toothbrush and a bonnet to much bigger things like a suit of armor and even a spare throne, the kids were enamored by the woman's use of the bag. Even Cedric seemed to be in awe. He'd known Tilly was far different from her brother and even the rest of her family, but he had to wonder exactly what her own secret was… Was she secretly a sorceress? Or did she simply learn a few tricks of her own over the years?

Not once did she ask him to perform; she was true to her word. Instead, she had him sit next to the birthday boy and girl, both with blazing red hair like their mother's, and he got to witness the show just like the children.

"Here you go, Mr. Cedric," Jocelyn, the birthday girl, said as she handed him a plate of cake after the show was over. "I got you a corner piece, because it's got all the icing." She giggled.

Cedric smiled fondly and gently patted the girl on her head as a thank you. She then bounced off to play with the other kids. He now stood to the side, simply watching the children play. As he ate a piece of his cake, Tilly approached him and leaned up against the wall as she ate her own slice. "You did a great job out there," he told her.

Tilly just smiled and laughed. "Well, thank you. I love kids. I love watching their eyes light up when you show them something new and they find it so interesting. You don't often see that with adults though…" She grinned as he shrugged. "But I did see your eyes light up a few times, Cedric. Still find magic fascinating even after practicing it all your life, huh?"

"Well, yeah. Magic is the one thing I understand very well, and yet it always manages to surprise me…"

"You know why?" She gestured playfully toward him with her fork. "Because you, Cedric, have the heart of a child—whether you care to admit it or not."

"I…" Well, he supposed he couldn't argue with that. When Sofia gave him his wand case, he was over the moon. When he received new supplies for potions, his mind brimmed with imagination of what he could create next. When he learned he could verbally communicate with Wormwood, his heart had become lighter and excited. "I guess I never thought of it that way."

Tilly smiled as she returned to her cake. "That's why you and Sofia get along so well, and why kids love you so much. You understand them, even if you didn't realize it before." With that, she ate another piece.

He laughed softly. "You're truly something else, Miss Tilly. People underestimate you."

She winked. "They do the same to you. We underestimated people have to stick together."

Cedric smiled. "Indeed we do."

* * *

Roland's and Cordelia's carriage arrived at the new clinic, fully built in a grandeur unparalleled with other buildings nearby. It was large, beige, and smooth, reflecting a majesty unexpected for a clinic.

They climbed down from the carriage and approached the building, surrounded by the new staff and supporters who helped make the clinic possible.

"Dr. Kowalski," Roland greeted as he shook a dark-haired man's hand. "I'm pleased to see the progress your team has made on the clinic."

The man smiled as he gestured widely. "All thanks to you, King Roland," he claimed in appreciation. "We cannot thank you enough for contributing to our cause. There are so many more people who can be helped now, thanks to the clinic."

"The only thing we would do differently is maybe make it look a little less…beige," a young girl beside the doctor said with a sigh.

"Enough, Nadia," Dr. Kowalski scolded the girl. "You'll have to forgive my daughter, Your Majesty. She often speaks without thinking."

Roland chuckled. "It's fine. I have three of my own. I'm well aware of this."

Cordelia pulled her green wand from her sleeve and held it up with a grin. "If it pleases Your Majesty and Dr. Kowalski, I could easily brighten up this clinic for you."

"Could you really?" the young blonde asked with a bright smile. "Could she, Papa?"

"If it's no trouble to you, Madame." The doctor smiled kindly. "If you'd like…"

"Oh, I'd like very much. I hope you all like blue." With that statement, she released some magic from her wand, encasing the clinic in a shade of powder blue, which complimented the dark roofing of the building. Along with the new paint came a slew of new plants growing along the outside, and a cobblestone walkway led to the door. "How's that?"

"Ah, that's wonderful!" Nadia gushed enthusiastically. "Now sick people won't loathe to come to such a boring building!"

Dr. Kowalski gave his daughter a pointed stare. "I believe you're missing the point of a clinic, child."

The dedication ceremony went off without a hitch. Cordelia got to witness a bit of what Roland did on a near daily basis. In a way, she sort of felt sorry for him. Sure, doing this sort of thing on occasion wouldn't be so bad, but to do it every day? She was never so happy _not_ to be a queen or royal of any type…even the Royal Sorcerer, a job she'd envied every now and then since her own brother had secured that position. Now she was happy to let him continue as he had.

"Did you enjoy the dedication?" Roland asked later as he and Cordelia stood off to the side, each with a glass of gooseberry cider.

"I did, Your Majesty. Thank you for letting me come along."

He smiled and shrugged. "It's the least I could do. With Calista off with the other kids, and since Miranda is celebrating her birthday with them, I'd hate for you to stay all by yourself in the castle, especially with Tilly and Cedric gone as well."

She chuckled and tilted her glass slightly, as if pointing toward him. "I assure you, I can manage my time just fine by myself. After all, there's always Baileywick to pester." She laughed.

"Yeah, let's not though," Roland hinted with a grin. "He has enough on his plate as it is."

Cordelia nodded with a smile before clinging her glass with his. "I've enjoyed being your 'sister' for the day, King Roland. It's certainly not boring—I'll give you that."

"The feeling is mutual."

Later that day, everyone met back up at the castle and all "relations" went back to normal. While Cordelia and Cedric met up to spend some time together practicing spells like the good old days, Tilly sought out Roland after he'd finished his daily duties.

She smiled when she saw her brother slumped in his chair, practically ready to just fall asleep. "Long day, huh?" she asked as she lowered her bag to the floor.

"Hmm, yeah," he responded as he sat up and yawned. "Baileywick kept me busy before and after the clinic dedication, and Cordelia kept me busy in between those times."

"Oh, really? She went with you?" She untied her hat and tossed it into the bag.

"Yeah. It actually ended up being a good thing. She really spruced up the exterior of the clinic, and the doctor and his staff couldn't have been more delighted."

"That's great, Roland." She smiled as she folded her arms. "Cedric told me you guys decided to 'trade sisters' for a day." She laughed as he blinked in surprise. "I think it's sort of silly but kind of sweet too. Cedric makes a great brother figure, as I'm sure Cordelia would make a great sister."

"Sure, though I'd be wary around her with her magical abilities. She'd always have the upper hand." He laughed.

Tilly giggled with a little twinkle in her eye. "Naturally. Well, I'm off to bed. I plan on heading out in the morning for that next adventure I told you about."

"Oh, really?" he asked, disappointment lacing his voice. "I thought you'd be staying longer."

She smiled and placed her hands on her hips. "Do you want me to? And then you can spend some quality time with your actual sister?"

Roland grinned. "Sure. I think I still have your old pogo stick hidden in my closet. We can drive the staff crazy like the good old days."

Tilly laughed again. " _Or_ we could rearrange all the paintings on the wall. You know Baileywick would _love_ that." She shook her head. "No, let's not pester that poor guy any more. He's got enough to deal with now that there are so many visitors." She winked. "Night, Roland. Sleep well, and I'll see you bright and early."

"Good night, Tilly." Roland sat up more fully in his chair and folded his hands under his chin as he considered everything that had transpired. It was amazing what a little perspective could do for someone. Siblings were tricky people. They got on each other's nerves sometimes, but at the end of the day, it was great having someone who could understand that familial connection. Cordelia was great, but she'd never be Tilly. He was sure Cedric felt the same about Cordelia. So that settled it. As interesting and admittedly fun as it was spending time with Cordelia, he was over the sister switch. He'd stick with his own offbeat sister from now on.

After all, family came in all shapes and sizes, right? Right.

The end


End file.
